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"Okay," he said before he turned on his heels and went out.
I sighed and got back to stirring the potatoes. I know he felt confused, but I was allowed to take some time to figure things out. There would be no point in dumping all of my emotions in his lap.
Both of them came back down and sat at the table.
I sat the plates down and decided to stop sulking. Whatever happened with me and Christian I didn't want it to affect everything else. I wanted to enjoy my day. "Annie, is it good?" I asked.
She nodded. "Really, really good, but it would be better with some ketchup.”
“Um… how about if you have ketchup tomorrow with your chips?”
“Yes. Will you cook that tomorrow?"
I smiled. "Of course."
"It's my turn to cook tomorrow," Christian cut in.
"I want Hannah's food."
Christian raised his eyebrows.
Annie didn't look bothered at all by the fact she'd just insulted her father.
Christian’s pouting was almost cute and I could feel my heart melting all over again. I reminded myself to stop thinking about him and quickly went back to eating.
The doorbell rang in the midst of us eating.
Christian frowned. "Who the hell is that?" he muttered as he pushed his chair back and walked towards the entrance.
I'd noticed with Christian, his home was his sanctuary. He didn't have a ton of people over. Instead, if he needed to have a meeting or see some friends, he went out to a bar, or restaurant. The house itself seemed like a safe haven, a castle fortress against the rest of the world.
"Annie. Come say hi to Mommy."
I glanced up and frowned before I could stop myself.
The woman who stood there was beautiful, tall, thin, and dressed in an impeccable black dress with a long slit up on thigh. Her red hair fell around her shoulders in thick waves and her makeup looked perfect.
Daphne.
Ever since he'd said her name, I'd wondered what his ex-wife looked like. She was a bombshell. Compared to her, I felt horribly frumpy. Her icy gray eyes ran over me and dismissed me in one second flat. I gritted my teeth and glanced away before I said something I'd regret.
Christian came in after her.
Annie still hadn't moved from her spot.
"Come on, Annie. You don't want to give Mommy a hug?"
Annie curled her hand around my arm and leaned her head on me. She'd gone back to being the silent Annie that I had meet when I'd first started working for Christian.
Daphne rolled her eyes and sighed. "Always with the theatrics," she said, as she shook her head and shot me another disapproving look. "Christian, I need to speak to you. Alone."
"I'm sure you do," I mumbled under my breath before I could catch myself. My gaze shot towards Christian.
A grin tugged at the corners of his lips. He turned the grin into a cough when she turned and stared at him.
I didn't want to be petty, but something about her brought it out of me. Probably the way she talked to Annie. If she had only given me such hostile looks and used that condescending tone with just me then I would have ignored her. The way she spoke to Annie however, made my blood boil. Clearly, Annie wasn't comfortable with her.
"Christian, privately, please," Daphne said furiously.
"Whatever you have to say to me you can say in front of Hannah."
The woman gave a constipated smile. "I don't think so. This is between the two of us."
"Why don't I take Annie upstairs and get her ready for bed?" I cut in. "Dinner is just about done anyway and we have a long day tomorrow."
Christian frowned. "Are you sure?"
I waved a hand. "Of course.”
Annie held out her hands to me like a baby, which kind of surprised me. I scooped her up and plopped her onto my hip. She wrapped her little arms around my throat and damn near choked me. I patted her back reassuringly. "Give Daddy goodnight kisses."
Annie leaned over and kissed him quickly.
Daphne puckered her lips. “What about your Mommy? Are you going to give her a kiss?”
Annie shook her head then buried her face into the crook of my neck.
I ran a hand down her back and turned to carry her upstairs. Why is a part of me jealous? I didn't want to dwell on it. Instead, I focused on Annie and tried to comfort the now almost tearful child. As I closed the door, I could hear Christian say, “Come on, Daphne. Say what you have to say.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Christian
I watched Hannah carry my daughter upstairs. The fact that Annie wouldn't even kiss Daphne spoke volumes about their relationship. Daphne was no mother to my child. She hardly saw her, didn't pay her much attention when she did, Annie treated her worse than a stranger because of it.
